Predictions

Best Film Ensemble

More than 1,100 Gold Derby users cast their votes for the 14th Annual Gold Derby Film Awards, honoring the best in motion pictures from the year 2015, and the dystopian sci-fi actioner “Mad Max: Fury Road” leads with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (George Miller), Best Actress (Charlize Theron), Best Ensemble and several in craft and technical categories.

“Carol” follows close behind with 10 nominations. The period romance underperformed at the Oscars, missing Best Picture and Best Director (Todd Haynes), but the film is nominated in both of those categories here, along with Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The sci-fi blockbuster “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” contends seven times, but unlike the Oscars, Gold Derby users welcomed it into the race for Best Picture. And in addition to its seven official nominations, star Daisy Ridley made the cut for Best Breakthrough Performer.

Four other films are tied with five nominations apiece. Among those is the sci-fi indie drama “Ex Machina,” which far exceeded its Oscar haul by earning five bids from our users, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Oscar Isaac) and Best Supporting Actress (Alicia Vikander).

This was an especially good year for Vikander, who is nominated for three awards total. Besides her nom for “Ex Machina,” she has a second Best Supporting Actress bid for her role in “The Danish Girl,” and she also competes for Best Breakthrough Performer. All by herself she actually received more nominations than “Danish Girl,” which only contends for Vikander and Eddie Redmayne in the Best Actor race.

Also with five nominations is “Spotlight,” up for Best Picture, Best Director (Tom McCarthy), Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble and Best Editing. The five noms for “The Martian” also include Best Picture and Best Director (Ridley Scott), as well as Best Actor (Matt Damon) and a pair of below-the-line bids for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.

“The Hateful Eight” has five nominations as well, though it didn’t make the cut for Best Picture. It’s up for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography and Best Score.

Among noteworthy omissions at these Gold Derby Awards is “The Big Short,” which recently surprised by winning Best Picture at the Producers Guild Awards but didn’t make the cut here in the top race (it actually finished just out of contention in 11th place). Director Adam McKay and co-star Christian Bale, who are also in the running at the Oscars, are absent at the Gold Derby Awards as well, though the film did pick up an impressive trio of noms: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble and Best Film Editing.

One other Oscar nominee for Best Picture is missing from Gold Derby’s list: “Bridge of Spies,” though the Cold War drama did show up in Best Supporting Actor (Mark Rylance), Best Original Screenplay and Best Production Design.

Other noteworthy surprises include Jacob Tremblay, nominated as a leading man at just nine-years-old for his performance in “Room.” He also competes for Best Breakthrough Performer with another youngster, “Beasts of No Nation” teenager Abraham Attah.

The complete list of nominations is below, along with the full video of our awards announcement. To vote, click here to visit our predictions center. Then click the box in the menu at the top of the page for the “Gold Derby Film Awards 2015” and vote in as many or as few categories as you like. Select your one (1) favorite candidate from the list of nominees; the top scorers in each category will be the final winners.

Don’t know for sure who to vote for yet? Don’t worry, you can fill out your ballot now and edit it as often as you like until the end of voting. Voting ends on Sunday, February 21, at 11:59pm Eastern. Winners will be announced on Thursday, February 25. And click here for the complete history of the Gold Derby Awards.